Thanks,
Julie
HYGEINE - If you do not have ashower facility at your office, use baby
wipes. If they can clean up a baby's bottom, a little sweat is not a
problem. They come in handy dispensers that store nicely in a desk.
You may want to store your work clothes at the office or have dry
cleaning delivered there. I ride in wearing "bike clothes" and then
change into work clothes.
Many cities have bike racks on the front of their buses. That could be
useful.
Most important rule - don't get hit by a car and always wear a helmet.
Also important - get a reliable lock.
Doug
I think I will have to get appropriate cycling clothing on the long
run. On my hunk of granite in the middle of the North Atlantic (Nova
Scotia, home to the most expensive gas/petrol in Canada - jumped
$CAD0.30/litre in less than 24 hours, as Katrina paid a visit), weather
can get rough. Winter should be fun.
Big nose, congrats on the move to NZ. I love that part of the world.
And sorry to see your bike was stolen.
I commute by bicycle most of the time. My route is only about 2 miles
but I take the opportunity to cross-train for mountain bike racing by
taking some roundabout roads and pad the commute out to 10 or 12 miles
each way.
Gloves, a messenger bag/pannier racks, and a helmet are the essentials.
I also recommend shorts with a good chamois. I recently picked up a
pair of Sette Fieldsensor shorts on http://www.pricepoint.com for about
60% off. If you're going to be hardcore and commute when there is a
chance of rain, I HIGHLY suggest picking up a nylon rain shell and
cramming it into an empty water bottle. That way if it does start to
rain you don't have to go digging through your bag and getting the rest
of your stuff wet just to find the jacket.
Your bike doesn't matter too much: I ride beat up old 1980s Bridgestone
track bike that I've converted into a fixed gear, but I know other
people that ride mountain bikes and regular road bikes as well. Slicks
are better than knobbies, of course.
My office doesn't have shower facilities so I'll second the idea of
keeping some baby wipes and a gym towel on hand. Find a handicapped
stall if you need to and change in there (the handrails are great for
hanging your stuff on while you change). I also bring some Axe or
spray-deodorant to spray down with after I'm done changing. Make sure
you hang up your bike clothes and helmet on a file cabinet or something
so they'll dry out during the day!!!
Mark
http://tinyurl.com/8tsk5 (thanks to sueandpaul.com!)
Tip 1) if you haven't got a waterproof rucksack, stick everything in a
plastic bag inside your rucksack.
Tip 2) Leave a pair of comfy shoes at work, Shoes are heavy to carry.
Don't cycle in your work shoes -- they'll get gross (I had SPDs so I
couldn't anyway)
Tip 3) If you have a shower at work, take a change of underclothes and
wear yesterdays for riding, so:
Monday: Riding in Sunday's underclothes, with Monday's set in bag
Tues: Riding in Monday's underclothes, etc.
There isn't a better feeling than walking into the office in the
morning after an eight mile ride, a shower and a clean set of clothes.
Hope this helps...
Chris
Carry my clothes and work stuff in a LLBean Super Deluxe Backpack. The
backpack is mostly water resistant so make sure to wrap up your clothes
on a wet day. I find rolling the clothes keeps them from wrinkling. If
it rains, I wrap my clothes in the towel...what little water gets in is
absobed by the towel. The backpack has LOTS of space, has reflective
elemnts, a padded back and straps.
Work has a rack and showers which is very nice.
In the winter I use layering with a Cool Max shirt, Fleece Jacket and
Waterproof Wind breaker with pants designed for cross county sking.
Shoes are LL Bean mountain mocs and Storm Socks. Gloves are Perfomance
bike Vento Windblockers, with ski gloves added below 10 degrees. The
coldest I've ridden is -5 F.
Last winter wasn't too bad as the snow would melt fairly quickly,
leaving the trails passable. That all changed in February. Luckily the
side walks are plowed so it only added a little of time to my ride. I
want to add studded tires this winter to deal with the ice. Only had 2
falls but still more than I like.
I lost 40lbs and feel great! Logged over 300 miles this past year, so I
fgure I'm saving several hundred dollars....going up every day too <G>.
Websites of interest are the CommuterDude and Icebike.
Have Fun!
-Dave
I'll post back with my experiences!
Julie
* Gas prices
* Car payments (if I can commit to it)
* I could stand to lose 25 pounds or so
* New job is closer
* I have showers at work
* It's better than prozac (or an excellent supplement)
The ride is a great time to think through things....no radio, no
phone...just peace and quiet. I find that having time to reflect is
very handy.
I also left out a key part in the winter gear. I have a polar fleece
cap that fits under my helmet and has a neck/face thing that pulls down
for when it's really cold.
Once you've been doing it as long as I have you start to HATE when you
are forced to drive. Your mind starts going over the fact you had to
pay for gas to do something that is normally "free". You are missing
two of your exercise routines. Makes you mad. Course that might just be
me <G>
-Dave
Here in Halifax, we're only now getting new busses with bike racks, one
route stops nearby, which may be handy in winter (although my car is
paid for and a realiable Toyota, so I may chicken out in January and
February). The scenery, I probably take for granted. No spectacular
mountains but one heck of a harbour. Here are sample images (noen
mine):
- Halifax habrour from Dartmouth:
http://www.jarvisofhalifax.com/images/gallery4/1518.html
- What I fear most - winter:
http://novascotia.com/season/winter/phototour.htm
- And of course, Theodore Tugboat!:
http://www.nuevaescocia.ca/bahia_de_halifax.htm
Bike is in the shop getting an extension to the seat and handlebar
stems so I can sit upright and take pressure off my wrists (RSI,
computer be damned) and will get it Wednesday with a rear rack and an
Arkel utility basket/pannier
(http://www.panniers.com/panniers/utility/overview.asp?fl=1&site=cdn)
and put it to the test.
I'll post back with news and views. The first serious tests for the
pannier: the stuff I lug to work daily + a 6-pack of Sleeman (beer) on
the way back. :-)
Julie
P.S. Must mention that I heard that pets rescued from Katrina by HSUS
and Louisianna SPCA are set to go up on petfinder.org soon. Hopefully,
their humans will be able to claim them, if not, consider adopting.
After a few miles on a bike the underwear won't be clean anyway :D
Another tip I just remembered - if you can afford it, buy a nice bike.
I spent a years worth of commuting money on my bike (£700, plus £250
on gear - 1900 USD or so).
It was an excellent motivator to ride, because a) I'd already spent my
train money so I couldn't afford to take the train anymore and b)
Riding an expensive road bike is heaven - they weigh nothing, they're
almost entirely silent, you go much faster, and you actually want to go
riding each morning. No way I'd ever go back to riding a cheap bike for
anything but the shortest distances.
-Chris
Miguel
My issue is carrying stuff. I use a backpack now, but after even my
13km ride my back's soaking, and this is late winter/spring. I need to
do something different by summer.
I carry: change of clothes (don't need to be smart, so squashable),
lunch, couple of books & some A4 papers. Does anyone have suggestions
for what to use that would also be convenient for carrying stuff around
*off* the bike (essential for what I do during the day).
One possibility: I do have a largish soft briefcase that would be
perfect if I could find a secure & convenient way of attaching it to my
bike's rack (which I never use as strapping things on never seems
satisfactory).
Oh, and fancy German panniers etc are way more than I can afford.
TIA for any suggestions.
I've also been experimenting with bike-commuting in Dallas, which (as
you've no doubt realized by now) is an incredibly unfriendly city for
cyclists.
I do have a couple of good suggestions for you, though:
1) Before you do ANYTHING, consult the bike-trail map at
http://www.dfwinfo.com/trans/bikeweb/. It provides terrific,
bike-friendly routes which you can use instead of the major (read:
terrifyingly perilous) roads and/or highways. My bike route is
considerably longer than my car route, but I've come to relish the
quiet and the attractive surroundings. Plus, I don't fear for my life
every time I get on the bike.
2) Drink, drink, drink. Got that? And I'm talking WATER here.
Margaritas don't count.
3) If you leave early enough in the morning, you reap a double
benefit: no heatstroke AND you get the admiration of your coworkers who
are so impressed with how early you've started your workday.
4) Talk to the wonderful guys at Richardson Bike Mart. They know it
all and are quite willing to help n00bs like us.
Hope this is helpful. Let me know if you want to chat one-on-one.
if you're carrying any sort of weight, you're better off with paniers
or a rack bag. You want to keep the weight as low as possible for good
stability. Also if you have any sort of knee or back problems, the
backpack could aggravate them as biking body position is different from
hiking. (I had to take a train home on the 3rd day of a 200 km bike
trip, because the backpack I was carrying caused my knees to ache.)
On the other hand, a hydration backpack is a good thing for two
reasons: 1) if you don't have to reach for the bottle, you're more
stable and drink more often, 2) in can cushion some impact to your
spine if you were ever to go over the handle-bars in an accident.
Harvey:
I've also been experimenting with bike-commuting in Dallas, which (as
you've no doubt realized by now) is an incredibly unfriendly city for
cyclists.
Hope this is helpful. Let me know if you want to chat one-on-one.
I rode in to work today. I feel great, and it only took five minutes
more than driving!
1. Regular attention to chain lube will make a noticable difference in
how easy it is to ride. My favorite brand is called "White
Lightning"-it's a clear wax that bills itself as 'self-cleaning'-the
best thing is that when you've used it for a while you don't get black
marks on your clothes so much from the chain.
2. Regular attention to tire pressure will make a noticable difference
in how easy is is to ride. Buy a floor pump with a pressure guage (NOT
a hand pump), and keep your tires at the max PSI they are rated for
(you can find this on the side of the tire). This will reduce your
'rolling resistance'. Also, do not commute with knobby tires for the
same reason-they take so much more work to pedal.
Also, Chrome bags are so worth the money.
For wet weather, wear two pairs of socks with a plastic bag in between
to keep your feet dry (I save old bread bags for this purpose).
Good Luck,
Kathryn
Seconded on this one. It also feels great to ride a bike that goes
whirrrrr rather than clackclackclackclackclack...
> 2. Regular attention to tire pressure will make a noticable difference
> in how easy is is to ride. Buy a floor pump with a pressure guage (NOT
> a hand pump), and keep your tires at the max PSI they are rated for
> (you can find this on the side of the tire). This will reduce your
> 'rolling resistance'. Also, do not commute with knobby tires for the
> same reason-they take so much more work to pedal.
Agreed on the pump - it'll take about 5 pumps to bring a road tire to
90psi with a decent one. A little hand pump is useful for flats though.
> For wet weather, wear two pairs of socks with a plastic bag in between
> to keep your feet dry (I save old bread bags for this purpose).
That tip is gold :) I'll try it next time I'm out in the rain...
-Chris
please Please PLEASE buy a helmet before you ride.
Pretty please.
Tait
Changing gears here <G> a good chain lube is worth it's weight in gold.
Personally I use Hippie Slick (www.hippieslick.com) because of it's
good wet and cold weather attributes.They say their lube is good from
-20 to 200F...you are on your own past either limit <G> Also I would
recommend you replace your chain at least once a year if you ride more
than 700 miles a year.
-Dave
My issue is carrying stuff. I use a backpack now, but after even my
13km ride my back's soaking, and this is late winter/spring. I need to
do something different by summer.
...Oh, and fancy German panniers etc are way more than I can afford.
A small toolkit and pump is not a bad idea either...yes you could walk
it, but what fun is that? I carry a multitool and a hand pump....never
needed either one but nice to know they are there.
But again it's all about what works for you. As I ride EVERY day to
work a little insurance is nice. That's why I don't care about the
weight of the slime tubes and the Traffics....Not getting flats is more
important than a little bit of speed to me.
-Dave
Thanks, I'll have a look. If you or anyone else knows of panniers that
have a shoulder strap or any other convenient means of carrying
off-bike, I'd appreciate a nod in the right direction.
What an amazing life this thread has taken on! I *finally* road in to
work today after I had seat and handlebar ajustments made to my bike
for ergonomics. Gotta say that my wrists and arms feel no worse for the
wear. I'm glad I stuck with my knobby tires because a third of my route
is on gravel and dirt. I devised my route to minimize contact with
motor traffic, safety over speed. Took 35 minutes for 4 km but didn't
seem that long. I ride along a lake and through parks for half the
commute and it ends on a glorious view of Halifax harbour.
I'm loving the Arkel city basket pannier I got (www.panniers.com -
model no longer on their site, alas). Was able to cram paperwork (in a
sturdy plastic portfolio), lunch, change of clothes and some gym
essentials. I still rode with my "purse" (I call a MEC Pod SlingPack a
purse - see mec.ca Product Number: 5001-497 if interested) on my back.
Good thing there is a fitness facility across the street where I'm a
member. Things worked out better than planned - not only had a shower
there before coming into the office, but also left my wet towel and
sweaty "bike" clothes in a locker there for the morning until I get in
for my noon workout, which can be all muscle work now because I'm
getting plenty of cardio with the commute! It helps that today is
gorgeous.
If I can create another new habit successfully, I may just start a
cyclocommuteblog.
Julie
Also -- I took my first "shower" at the office today using baby-wipes
(thanks to whoever suggested that!). And I can report that I was very
happy with the results. I can heartily recommend the Huggies unscented
Natural Care wipes. (I am such a loser.)
So you're in culinary school at El Centro? I may want to talk to you
about that program as well...
In light of recent events and the consequences, I'm wondering if some
of you lifehack your way around transportation to and from work on a
bicycle. Any of your tips are appreciated, especially when it comes to
transporting the essentials with you and weathering the elements.
Thanks,
Julie
I'm in Dallas too! My advice for the hot weather is simply to stay
hydrated and work up your heat acclimation slowly.
I drink about a gallon of water a day (on a regular basis, even if it's
not hot) so that my body is hydrated BEFORE I even hit a trail. Same
goes for riding to work - you can still use a water bottle or camelbak
but you won't have to drink as much and you won't get dehydrated as
easily.
As for heat acclimation, every late June/early July I go to a local
trail that is about a 3 mile loop that never strays very far from the
trailhead. I'll just ride a few laps until I start to feel tired or
slightly sick, then stop immediately, walk back to the car (it's never
more than about 1/2 mile away at any point on the trail) and call it a
day. By doing this 2-3 times a week, by the time it gets Africa Hot in
August you'll be ready to go.
Mark
This is very important advice for any city rider. Use a whole lane.
You're entitled to it.
When I used to cycle in London I carried a pocketful of large
ball-bearings to throw at windscreens of homicidal drivers. Older and
mellower now, but in retrospect it still seems justified given that so
many of them tried to kill me. I still remember the broken windscreen
on a famous personage's Rolls ...
> You'll get over the feelings of guilt associated with
> slowing down traffic pretty quickly after the first time you get bumped
> by a 98-pound Highland Park soccer mom driving an Escalade.
Guilt? You're the rider. They're the ones ensuring future Katrinas.
Well, you argue with them only *after* you've got out of their way when
they've tried to kill you. I started doing this after several murder
attempts (I mean where I made eye contact with drivers coming out of
side roads, they grinned and gunned out in front of me causing me to
swerve to stay alive). They tried to kill me. I broke their
windscreens. It seemed a fair swap to a younger and feistier me.
>
> For consistency, if you stay in the middle of the lane, stay there ALL
> THE TIME. Don't be a car when you need to, but a pedestrian when it
> suits you. That's a sure way to surprise a motorist (see above).
>
> Be smart. Stay alive.
Sure -- you'll find most cycle clubs advise that you keep a lane to
yourself under most circumstances (ie. not on curvy roads with high
speed limits etc). I believe there's UK-based safety research to show
riders who do this are safer than those who stay left (or right in most
countries).
I was only in the city for a week, but I almost bought a bike at the
Mission Street Good Will, although it would have been cheaper than
renting a bike for a day at Fisherman's Warf, it would have taken me
have a day to get it into roadworthy shape, and I didn't have any tools
si I didn't do it.
You might want to check out Craig's List. There are a number of bikes
for sale posted on that site.
Jim S.
New Rochelle, NY
Anthony Baker wrote:
> Man, this is an awesome thread.
>
> I don't yet bike to work -- need to buy a new bike after ......
I currently commute on an electric power-assist Cannondale mountain
bike with 15 year old panniers (almost thread bare), my ride is 15
miles round trip. I like the guaranteed hour of exercise on the days I
go to work (I work a rotating 12-hour shift, some weeks I work 3-days,
others 4). I have been bike commuting on and off for the last 15
years.
I have ridden through several bikes, and I am at the point of thinking
about overhauling or replacing my current ride. In the mix for a new
bike is a folding-type bike (Dahon, Downtube, Brompton, etc.). As
such, I am interested in your thoughts, comments, and recommendations
on commuting with a folding bike including all the pluses and minuses.
Part of my intrigue of switching to a folding-type bike is that I live
about 4 miles away from the end of the New York City Subway system
which is a doorway into many interesting destinations. I am also 2
miles from a major transportation hub where I can hop of bus or train
that will take me to almost anywhere in North America.